Aircraft galley stowage compartment extractor

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a bay for an aircraft galley that includes an extractor that retrieves objects from a compartment by slowly bringing the object forward using a free end. The free end is brought out of the compartment, carrying the object with it. The extractor is preferably a flexible sheet that is secured to the compartment and extends generally rearward to the rear wall. A pull cord may be attached to the free end to facilitate operating, and a mirror may be mounted to the compartment to provide the user with a view of the entrance to the compartment.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No.61/534,191, filed Sep. 13, 2011 incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

Commercial aircraft that service hundreds of passengers or more aretypically equipped with a galley to cater to those passengers. Thegalley of an aircraft provides the flight attendants with an area tostore, cook, and prepare food and beverages for the crew, as well asother services of comfort and convenience for the passengers. Galleysinclude all of the equipment and utensils to conduct the passengerservice, which are arranged in as efficient a manner as possible.Aircraft galleys must utilize available space in an economical mannersince storage space is at a premium on an aircraft. To store everythingthat is required, galleys are equipped with tall bays with variouscompartments that house the equipment and other service items. In largeaircraft the bays are deep and high, and the upper compartments requirea certain height and arm length to reach back into a deep bay toretrieve an object that is stored or has settled to the rear of thecompartment. If the object cannot be reached, the flight attendant mayhave to fashion a step or ladder to reach the object in question, whichcan lead to safety issues. In other instances, the rear portion of anupper compartment is not used for this reason, wasting available storagespace. What is needed is a safe and effective way to retrieve an objectthat has settled in the rear of an aircraft bay so that all availablecompartment space can be utilized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an extractor formed of a sheet of flexiblematerial or the like that is fixed to a bottom surface of a galley baycompartment and extends first rearward to the back wall of thecompartment, then up the back wall, and finally along the ceiling of thecompartment toward the compartment's opening. The first end is securedto the galley bay compartment's floor, and the second end is free and isheld against the compartment's ceiling, either by shape memory, guides,or other means. In a preferred embodiment, the free end includes a pullcord that allows the free end to be pulled toward and even out of thecompartment. When the leading edge of the free end or the pull cord ofthe extractor is pulled away from the back wall of the galley baycompartment, the extractor is unfurled, carrying with it like an oceanwave any objects in the rear of the compartment and bringing themforward. In this manner, objects that have been placed or has settled inthe rear of the compartment can be retrieved easily and safely.

In another preferred embodiment, the front of the compartment at or nearthe ceiling can also include a mirror that allows a user whose eye levelis below the entrance of the compartment an opportunity to view objectsas they approach the compartment's opening. To facilitate the viewing ofobjects as they are brought to the entrance by the extractor, theextractor may be made of a transparent or translucent material. As thefree end of the extractor is withdrawn from the compartment, any objectseated on the extractor within the compartment can be slowly brought towithin reach without reaching into the back of the compartment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective view of a bay incorporating thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, with a side panel removed, of a compartment ofthe bay of FIG. 1 illustrating the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an elevated perspective view of the bay with the extractorextended; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of the bay of FIG. 3 with the extractor extended.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a sample aircraft bay 10 that includes a topcompartment as is common in many of today's aircraft. The bay 10 isshown without a side wall so that the interior can be seen, and the bay10 includes many compartments that house serving carts 12, shelves 14,and various other storage devices 16. The top compartment 18 of the bay10 is a substantially open volume that can house objects of a larger orunusual size. The compartment 18 is rectangular, with a floor 20,ceiling 22, rear wall 24, and left and right walls 26. A cover or doorwould typically close the compartment 18 at the front to prevent anycontents from falling out during flight. With the compartment 18 on thetop of the bay 10, an object 28 that has settled to the rear of thecompartment 18 may be out of reach of an attendant who needs to retrievethe object.

The extractor 30 of the present invention may be any suitable materialthat is flexible and that maintains its shape with some resiliency. Inis preferably formed of a sheet that has some rigidity, but can beshaped to mimic the contour of the rear portion of the compartment 18.That is, the sheet substantially bears against the surfaces of thecompartment floor, rear wall, and ceiling so as not to appreciablyreduce the available space in the compartment 18. The extractor 30 ispreferably substantially the width of the compartment 18, although theportion along the ceiling is preferably narrower than the portion alongthe floor, and in fact may be significantly narrower to save materialand weight while increasing visibility. The total length of theextractor 30 is approximately one and one half times the depth of thecompartment, although other lengths will work depending on the length(or absence) of the cord.

A first end 32 of the extractor 30 is fixed to the floor 20 of thecompartment 18 approximately one third to one half of the distance fromthe front to the rear of the from the left wall to the right wall, withthe sheet extending rearward from this first end. Of course, theextractor's location where it is fixed to the floor of the compartmentcan change depending upon the needs and conditions of the galley. Theextractor extends to the rear wall 24 lying flat on the floor 20 of thecompartment 18, until it engages the rear wall 24 as it rises upward,and then along the ceiling 22 extending back to the opening of thecompartment 18. The compartment may include guides (not shown) on theceiling near the entrance of the compartment to keep the extractor awayfrom the opening of the compartment 18. The extractor 30 preferablyextends to at least the half-way point of the compartment along theceiling 22, and may include a pull cord, handle, or other graspingdevice 34 at the free end to allow favorable purchase of the extractor30.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, where an object 28 is located at the rear ofthe compartment 18 it will be seated on top of the extractor 30,possibly against or adjacent the rear wall 24. In many cases, thisobject 28 may occupy a location that cannot be reached by certainattendants without stepping on some nearby step of some kind. Becauseturbulence on a flight can happen at any time, this is a potentiallydangerous situation that is avoided by the present invention. The flightattendant wishing to retrieve object 28 pulls either the free end 38 ofthe extractor or the pull cord 34, to extend the free end 38 of theextractor 30 out of the compartment. As the free end 38 of the extractor30 continues to be pulled toward and then out of the entrance of thecompartment 18, the object 28 at the rear of the compartment will becollected by the extractor 30 and urged forward by the unfurlingflexible sheet. By this method and further movement of the extractor 30,the object 28 can be slowly and safely brought to the opening of thecompartment where it can be acquired easily without any safety concernsto the attendant. Once the object is retrieved, the extractor isreturned to its original position either by the resiliency of theflexible sheet, by shape memory, or other means to reestablishing thefull volume of the compartment 18.

To further aid in the retrieval of the object 28 and improve the safetyof the device, a mirror 40 may be placed on or about the ceiling 22 ofthe compartment near the opening, positioned at an angle that allows aflight attendant a view of objects approaching the entrance of thecompartment 18. That is, if the bay is very high, to avoid objectsfalling on an attendant because they cannot be seen at eye level, themirror 40 provides an early notice that an object 28 is approaching theentrance of the compartment. The mirror 40 need only be located near theopening of the compartment and should have a low profile so as not tointerfere with the operation of the flexible extractor during extractionand reinsertion. To further increase visibility, the extractor may bemade transparent or translucent so that the mirror 40 can be viewedthrough the extractor 30, and also so that the object may come into viewthrough the extractor as it approaches the edge of the compartment 18.This invention allows full use of the entire volume of the compartment18 by creating a method of retrieval of an object in a bay compartmentno matter how deep the compartment.

The present invention lends itself to many possible variations andmodifications that would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe art, and the invention is intended to include all such modificationsand variations, whether they are specifically described herein or not,and whether they are specifically shown in the drawings or not. Forexample, the extractor could operate while attached to a side wallrather than the floor of the compartment, dragging the object as thefree end is pulled out of the compartment. The material used toconstruct the extractor can be made of various materials that yield asturdy but flexible device capable of retrieving a heavy object withouttearing. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is properly interpretedby the words of the appended claims using their ordinary and customarymeanings, in light of the teachings herein without limiting theinvention to any specific embodiment described or shown herein.

We claim:
 1. A storage bay comprising: a compartment with an interiorvolume defined by a floor, a rear wall, a ceiling, and a pair of sidewalls; a flexible extractor affixed to the floor of the compartment, theextractor comprising a flexible sheet extending rearward from a fixedposition between an opening of the compartment and the rear wall, to therear wall and thereupon to the ceiling, the flexible extractor having afree end extendible out of the compartment; whereupon an object placedon the extract is carried out of the compartment by extending the freeend out of the compartment.
 2. The storage bay of claim 1, wherein theextractor has a pull cord at the free end.
 3. The storage bay of claim 1wherein the extractor is transparent.
 4. The storage bay of claim 1wherein the extractor is translucent.
 5. storage bay of claim 1 furthercomprising a mirror placed on the ceiling.
 6. The storage bay of claim5, wherein the mirror is angled to view the opening of the compartmentfrom below said opening.
 7. The storage bay of claim 1, furthercomprising a storage area for food service carts.
 8. The storage bay ofclaim 1, wherein the extractor returns to an original position throughshape memory.